Joe Biden has called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, moments after shocking police video was released showing an Illinois officer fatally shooting Sonya Massey after she called police fearing a home intruder.
In his first public statement since dropping his bid for re-election, Biden said the shooting of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, by white Sangamon county sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, in her home in Springfield, after a dispute over a pot of boiling water, “reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not”.
Biden, who is recovering from Covid at his home in Delaware, said Massey, “a beloved mother, friend, daughter and young Black woman … should be alive today”.
I had a slightly different take on this - if she had said “OK thanks guys, I feel a lot better now. See you later.” it probably all wouldn’t have ended in murder.
What I can’t understand is why they entered the house after that interaction and the video I saw didn’t show.
After that it all went downhill aggressively. The tone of her “Jesus retribution” comment was actually very soft. The cop putting his hand on his gun and his incredibly aggressive tone was mental. Pure escalation with someone who obviously has mental health issues. She was never going to get out alive. :( It reminded me of that awful video of the young lad on the hotel floor who was executed. Very upsetting to watch.
To my knowledge, there was no reason or justification given. Grayson had turned off his body cam, and his partner had walked away to get the license plate of the car in the driveway. Grayson followed her into her home asking for ID. She seemed confused and scattered through the whole encounter. She might have been intoxicated or on medication. She might have had mental health problems. She may have even been using illegal drugs. But none of that is a crime if you’re in your own home not bothering anyone. IMO, they were fishing for a reason to treat her as a suspect.
This video has a good breakdown with footage from both officers’ body cams: https://youtu.be/7jP3FGj7syI
Just watching it now. Heads up you linked to near the end of the video so for anyone else this is the start.
https://youtu.be/7jP3FGj7syI
Very upsetting viewing so far tbh so exercise caution on whether or not you’re up for viewing.
Edit: Oh God this just gets worse and worse the more I watch. He had a tazer and chose his gun. :( That poor woman. Still watching in pieces as it’s busy here…
Just finished. It’s a good analysis of a terrible situation. Zero justification for killing that woman. Just a little kindness and it all could have been avoided. The killer was a giant dick from start to finish.
Fixed the link. Thanks for the heads up!
No worries. Thanks for the link to the video. It was a good analysis, an unpleasant watch but I’m glad I saw it.
Also fuck that guy. Like really, really fuck that guy. Just a single ounce of empathy or kindness instead of frustration and anger and that woman would still be alive and her family wouldn’t be grieving this.
But also I’m glad to see justice being done (so far).
I do feel sorry for his partner, who obviously early on knew the guy wasn’t OK on that particular day, tried to smooth him out early on in the car but unfortunately wasn’t able to. The whole thing is very sad.
Oh yikes. Thanks for the extra context. I’ll give that video you linked a watch this evening.
Good comment but I think doing ‘illegal drugs’ in your own home is still illegal.
Splitting hairs, but technically being a user or addict isn’t illegal, it’s possession or possession with intent to traffic, which are the crimes. Might vary by region.
In any case, not justification for murder
EDIT: pardon me, my reply keeps going to the wrong comment.
Fair. I should re-word. Yes, if they had evidence that she was actually using, that might be grounds for arrest. But they’d still need cause to enter her house and arrest her, and just suspecting that she’s using because she’s acting weird isn’t sufficient. Here’s my re-word: Just being high in your own home is not illegal.
Oh for sure, it shouldn’t be illegal. I’m Australian, it’s not actually illegal to use or be on drugs here. But obviously possession, manufacture, selling etc is illegal.
But I believe in most states in the US it is illegal to use/be under the influence of drugs? Someone chime in if I’m wrong
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Why even say this victim blaming bullshit? Yes, I read the rest of your comment, I just don’t know why you felt the need to preface it by blaming an innocent dead woman for getting shot by the cop she called for help.
I shouldn’t even need to say any of this, but she could have been cursing them off the moment they arrived for all I care. That’s literally her constitutional right. And if it were a white woman, and she was cursing them from the moment they arrived, she’d still be alive right now 100%. Perhaps detained or arrested, and/or maybe a few bruises. But alive.
This country is going to need to have a reckoning. We failed Reconstruction, and in retrospect we probably should have let Sherman burn the South to the ground after the war, and now the chickens are coming to roost.
(Yes I know this was in Illinois. The legacy of slavery is everywhere).
I think you misconstrued my intent which was just that I didn’t agree with this take from the person I was replying to:
I was merely trying to point out that I felt the cops (and murder cop in particular) were ready, keen even, to get away when they were standing on the porch. Murder cop seemed pissed off the entire time he was going to the call (his partner is constantly checking if he’s OK), when searching the back yard and also while dealing with that lady so I was surprised he didn’t take the opportunity to just fuck off back to his car. I felt like he really wanted to.
Yeah, tbh I’m not American but that does ring true with me as a frequent external viewer of horror stories like this.
To find an excuse to
punisharrest her.To find an excuse to
punish arrestmurder her.Regardless of context from the onset the dialogue was between someone in a position of power and someone who wasn’t. Regardless of the reaction of the woman the cop was in the position of power. Any failing was on him and him alone. Men (yes I’m generalizing The Internet and that you are a man) need to understand this. White men (yes I’m generalizing The Internet and that you are a white man) need to understand this.
Regardless of the context this was about power. Shit needs to change.
I agree with you on everything you said (and yeah I’m a white lad). Beyond what you said, the dialogue also included so much frustration and ultimately murderous rage. It could have been dealt with so kindly and so easily and wasn’t.
The one caveat I’ll give is that I live an ocean away in a country where cops don’t carry guns. We never face things like this and I am so fucking glad that we don’t. This whole thing was tragic. I’m really upset about it. It honestly fucked up my evening but I can only imagine what it’s done to her family. :(
“With great power, there must come great responsibility.” Spider-Man comes up in a lot of my political arguments and it’s an incredibly useful tool to get to some people.
I keep telling people that it isn’t a Spider-Man quote. It is Uncle Ben. That man gets so little respect.
I’ve been saying for years that the movie franchise should have been called Uncle Ben feat. Spider-Man
I dont care what sex you are or what or who you are but Honest to god I dont even give a fucking shit what the fuck ypur point is I dont get on the internet for power tripping fucking whatever the fuck you are fucks to power tripe when all I am doing is minding my own business and honestly I dont really give a fuck. K? Understand? ass head fuck guy or girl whatever the fuck you are guy
Lolwut?
hi 8)
As a retired medic who has has to deal with my share of the mentally ill, I will try to add a little context perhaps.
What got them to enter the apartment is they probably realized they were dealing with a mentally ill person who was not properly on their meds, (we can’t say for sure at this point - but it’s as likely as not), and they then started what should have been a simple welfare check. Which can entail entry to observe the person and the general living conditions. Cops do welfare checks everyday, multiple times a day. The next step if they determine there is a problem, is to request medical assistance, an ambulance, to deal with the person. The cops are to remain in scene and assist if needed - i.e. help talk the patient into seeking medical help or sometimes stop an assault on EMS. But that’s what SHOULD have happened.
Instead a straight up murder was committed.
That might be the excuse they felt they would be able to use but I have a hard time believing these assholes cared about her mental health.
Yea Daniel Shaver. This is the exact same video and I consider that the most sensless police murder we have on film.
That’s his name. Thank you. I knew his first name but didn’t want to Google it to be reminded of it any more than necessary tbh. It’s one of those occasional intrusive thoughts videos for me that I’m sure we all have our own little library of.
I still can’t believe the killer got away with it. Daniel had no way to get out alive.